Polyacrylic acid polymers hydrogels intended to topical drug delivery: preparation and characterization.

Context: Bioadhesiviness of polyacrylic acid polymers make them promising hydrogels to design topical drug delivery systems, allowing a close contact with biological substrate as well as an enhanced local concentration gradient, both factors that may improve the biological performance of the drugs.

Aim: Texture and bioadhesive properties of hydrogels were assessed by using texture analyzer and they were correlated with their rheological behavior and performance as drug delivery systems.

Methods: Aqueous dispersions of both polymers were prepared at 0.

Rheological, mechanical and adhesive properties of surfactant-containing systems designed as a potential platform for topical drug delivery.

In the last few decades, nanotechnology has led to an advance in the development of topical drug delivery. Nanostructured drug delivery systems enable the compartmentalization of drugs in restricted environments, modifying the release profile and maintaining the required drug concentration for prolonged periods at the site of action and/or absorption. The development of nanostructured systems containing surfactants has evolved rapidly.